Man shot dead by police in Calais allegedly had forced mother and baby to go with him

CALAIS, Maine — Police believe the man who was shot dead in a domestic violence standoff Wednesday night in Calais had forced a 21-year-old mother and her 6-week-old baby to leave a doctor’s office parking lot with him and go to his house, according to a police spokesman.

Pinney was shot dead by Calais police shortly after officers arrived at his home at approximately 6 p.m. Wednesday, according to Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland.

McCausland said Thursday that Sherrard was supposed to have shown up at a doctor’s appointment for the baby earlier on Wednesday but did not arrive. Her car was located in the physician’s parking lot in Calais by her father on Wednesday afternoon. He then contacted Calais police because he was concerned for her safety.

At this point, McCausland said, it appears that Pinney confronted Sherrard in the parking lot of the doctor’s office and forced her to return with him to his house. Pinney had been free on bail for a domestic violence criminal threatening charge involving Sherrard, and a condition of his bail was that he was to have no contact with her. He had been arrested by Calais police on May 18, and Sherrard had filed a protection order from harassment and abuse against Pinney on June 11.

McCausland said that Sherrard suffered multiple gunshot wounds and her baby was shot in the foot. Both are being treated at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.

A spokesman for EMMC had no information about their conditions Thursday afternoon..

The state attorney general’s office is investigating the officers’ involvement in the shooting of Pinney, as Calais police Officers John Preston and Joseph Bartlett both shot at Pinney after arriving at his home, just as Sherrard and her baby were fleeing it. The state police investigation is centering on the shooting of the mother and the baby.

An autopsy on Pinney’s body will take place Friday at the state medical examiner’s office in Augusta.

The case remains under investigation by the Maine State Police.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and would like to talk with an advocate, call 866-834-4357, TRS 800-787-3224. This free, confidential service is available 24/7 and is accessible from anywhere in Maine.

Correction:An earlier version of this story reported that police had indicated that the baby shot was a girl. The baby was a boy.